In News:

India’s official submission on the Beijing+30 Report marks three decades since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), a landmark framework advancing gender equality across 12 key areas such as education, health, economy, and political participation.

While the report acknowledges past progress—including enactment of laws like the Domestic Violence Act (2005) and the POSH Act (2013)—it lacks an integrated climate-gender perspective, an urgent gap given rising climate vulnerabilities affecting women disproportionately.

Climate Change and Gender Inequality: A Dual Challenge

• Rural women, particularly in agrarian and forest-dependent regions, face acute consequences of climate change—loss of livelihood, food insecurity, and health risks.
• India’s rural women often bear the brunt of extreme weather events, droughts, and resource scarcity.
• According to reports:
  • 33% loss of income occurs due to climate-induced productivity disruption, especially from non-farm sources.
  • Women perform over 8 hours of daily work, of which 71% is unpaid.
  • By 2050, unpaid care work is projected to rise to 8.3 hours/day without mitigation.

Key Data and Impacts

Indicator                                                       Insight

Pregnant women (India)                 50%+ are anaemic; worsened by food insecurity

Temperature–Violence Link          +1°C rise → 8% rise in physical violence, 7.3% rise in sexual violence

Climate policies (FAO)                       Only 6% mention women; 1% mention poor people

Agriculture Potential                            Closing gender gap in agri-inputs could raise yields by 20–30%

Women as Agents of Climate Resilience

• Women contribute to 50% of global food production and lead community efforts in seed preservation, sustainable farming, and disaster response.
• Indigenous and rural women prioritize livelihood security (Mahua), safety (Mao), and managing migration—termed the three M's.
• Informal women’s collectives are key in disaster resilience, ecosystem protection, and productivity gains.

Recommendations for Climate-Gender Integration

• Policy Interventions:
  • Introduce gender-responsive climate budgeting to prevent greenwashing and ensure equitable allocation.
  • Incorporate gender in NAPCC, SAPCC, and ensure percolation to local governance and disaster planning.
  • Address emerging risks—trafficking, migration, health, and geriatric safety in disaster zones.
• Data and Monitoring:
  • Establish indicators and research on gendered climate impacts.
  • Conduct inclusive climate consultations to enable community-driven planning.
• Private Sector & Green Finance:
  • Encourage women-led green enterprises, climate-resilient technologies, and inclusive innovations.
  • Allocate climate adaptation funds to skill-building, non-farm livelihoods, and local resilience-building.
• Partnership Model:
  • Promote collaboration between government, civil society, research institutions, private sector, and international organisations.
  • Foster knowledge exchange, capacity building, and public recognition of women climate leaders.